Scheduling for service projects via negotiation

• US 9,336,516 B2
• Filed: 09/11/2013
• Issued: 05/10/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Balachandran, T. K., Huang, Pu, Katircioglu, Kaan K., Li, Ta-Hsin, Li, Ying, Martens, Axel, Mohan, Rakesh, Ratakonda, Krishna C., Segal, Richard B., Smith, Lisa A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Won, Michael Y
• Application Number:
  US14/023,951
• Publication Number:
  US 20150051935A1
• Time in Patent Office: 972 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/224, 709/226
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/04 Forecasting or optimisation specially adapted for administrative or management purposes, e.g. linear programming or "cutting stock problem" market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities G06Q30/0202
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1097 Task assignment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/50 Network service management, e.g. ensuring proper service fulfilment according to agreements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5006 Creating or negotiating SLA contracts, guarantees or penalties

Abstract

Assignment scheduling for service projects, in one aspect, may comprise preparing input parameter data for servicing a client service request; generating a schedule for servicing the client service request by executing an optimization algorithm with the input parameter data; determining whether the schedule is acceptable by the client; and repeating automatically the preparing, the generating, the transmitting and the determining until it is determined that the schedule is acceptable by the client, wherein each iteration automatically prepares different input parameter data for inputting to the optimization algorithm and generates a different schedule based on the different input parameter data.

Claims

1. A computer readable device storing a program of instructions executable by a machine to perform a method of assignment scheduling for service projects, comprising:

receiving, by at least one processor, a client service request;

preparing, by the at least one processor, input parameter data for servicing the client service request;

generating, by the at least one processor, a schedule for servicing the client service request by executing an optimization algorithm with the input parameter data;

transmitting, by the at least one processor, the schedule to a client;

determining, by the at least one processor, whether the schedule is acceptable by the client based on receiving an acceptance or rejection posted on a web by the client; and

repeating automatically by the at least one processor, the preparing, the generating, the transmitting and the determining until it is determined that the schedule is acceptable by the client, wherein each iteration prepares different input parameter data for inputting to the optimization algorithm and generates a different schedule based on the different input parameter data, which gradually increases number of assignments from a previous iteration, is prepared automatically by the at least one processor without receiving additional parameter data from the client, wherein the optimization algorithm comprises maximizing a service provider'"'"'s profit,

2. The computer readable device of claim 1, wherein the determining whether the schedule is acceptable by the client comprises detecting the client posting a rejection or acceptance on a client interface communicating with the at least one processor.

3. The computer readable device of claim 1, wherein the client service request is received via a web interface.

4. The computer readable device of claim 1, further comprising enabling automatically signing a service agreement by the at least one processor in response to determining that the schedule is acceptable by the client.

5. The computer readable device of claim 1, wherein the optimization algorithm comprises minimizing a total project time-span for a flexible and negotiable project.

6. The computer readable device of claim 1, wherein the optimization algorithm operates under a plurality of constraints, the plurality of constraints comprising:

that a task i will start only once;

that the task i will start before period |T|−

L(i)+2, wherein T represents a planning horizon, L(i) represents a duration of said task i;

mapping of local time l to global time t;

sum of all worker r assigned to said task i satisfies a demand d(i, s, l) representing demand of skill s at time l of said task i;

said worker r are not over-utilized; and

one or more precedence relationships between tasks are preserved.

7. A system for assignment scheduling for service projects, comprising:

a processor;

an interface module operable to enable a client module and a server module to negotiate assignment scheduling associated with a project;

a decision support engine operable to execute on the processor and further operable to receive a client service request via the interface module, the decision support engine further operable to prepare input parameter data for servicing the client service request, the decision support engine further operable to generate a schedule for servicing the client service request by executing an optimization algorithm with the input parameter data, the decision support engine further operable to transmit the schedule to a client based on receiving an acceptance or rejection posted on a web by the client, the decision support engine further operable to determine whether the schedule is acceptable by the client, and the decision support engine further operable to repeat automatically the preparing, the generating, the transmitting and the determining until it is determined that the schedule is acceptable by the client, wherein each iteration prepares different input parameter data for inputting to the optimization algorithm and generates a different schedule based on the different input parameter data, the different input parameter data, which gradually increases number of assignments from a previous iteration, prepared automatically without receiving additional parameter data from the client, wherein the optimization algorithm comprises maximizing a service provider'"'"'s profit,

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the interface module determines whether the schedule is acceptable by the client by detecting the client posting a rejection or acceptance on a client interface communicating with the at least one processor.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the client service request is received via a web interface.

10. The system of claim 7, further comprising enabling automatically signing a service agreement by the at least one processor in response to determining that the schedule is acceptable by the client.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the optimization algorithm comprises minimizing a total project time-span for a flexible and negotiable project.